The Features Your Website Must Absolutely, Positively Must Have
Most business owners understand that their company’s website has the ability to act as a sales tool. It provides information 24 hours a day, seven days a week, even when your salespeople aren’t around to close business for you. However, just because you have a website, doesn’t mean it’s effectively explaining to potential clients why they should choose to do business with you. To immediately increase your site’s power, make sure it has the following components:
A contact section that’s easy to find
Provide as many ways to get in touch with your business as possible, including an e-mail address, a short contact form visitors can fill out, and a telephone number. If you have a brick and mortar store, don’t forget to include your address.
Testimonials from clients
If possible, take the time to gather testimonials from your clients. People are heavily influenced by thoughts from other consumers, so hearing positive words from satisfied clients is a powerful sales tool. The testimonials don’t need to be long. Even a short paragraph drives home a powerful message.
Frequently asked questions section
Ultimately, visitors head to your site to quickly get information about your services. A FAQ section is a great way to provide this information in a way that’s easy to process. Think about the questions potential customers ask you most regularly, and then compile this information into a Frequently Asked Questions section. Added bonus: this might cut down on the amount of time you spend answering the same inquiries over and over.
Headshots
Adding pictures of your staff gives your site a much more personal feel. Customers want to be able to associate a face with the brand, and professional headshots allow this to happen. If you don’t have money to spend on professional photography, head to a place with good lighting and use your smartphone to take a few pictures.
A list of your services or product offerings
People who come to your site want to be able to find out exactly what you offer. Lay this information out clearly, and make sure to keep this section updated. Whether you choose to list pricing information is up to you, but make sure you include plenty of links to your contact section so those who are interested can easily inquire about more details.
Some personality
While you want to maintain a professional tone, your business’s website also shouldn’t be bland. When visitors check it out, they should get a sense of what your company is all about. What sets your company apart from your competitors? What are your values all about? What kinds of employees do you strive to hire? Let these emotions show in the layout of the site, the pictures you select, and the kind of content that populates the pages. Adding a little personality draws a visitor in, making them more likely to stick around and make a purchase.
Adding this list of essentials to your site ensures that it’s functioning most effectively as a sales tool, as well as a resource for clients and potential clients alike. If you notice that your site is missing some of these elements, contact me to find out how I can help you boost your site’s impact.